DETROIT — Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has launched the remake of a more than century-old neglected manufacturing site near the Detroit River into an adventure and education center.

The Detroit Free Press reports that Snyder on Saturday officially launched the planned $12.8 million transformation of Detroit's Globe Trading Company complex. He punctuated a press conference by bicycling the Dequindre Cut, a pedestrian and bike pathway built on an abandoned rail line running alongside the Globe.

The overhaul of industrial complex is part of a plan to expand the William G. Milliken State Park & Harbor across the street.

Construction is expected to start late this year or early next year and could open by late 2013. Expected features include a climbing wall, kayaking simulator and demonstrations on Michigan's historic lumber industry.